How to Choose the Right Gemstone: A Practical Guide for Indian Jewellery Buyers

Gemstones are where jewellery buying gets personal — and where most buyers feel least equipped. Unlike gold, a gemstone has no single purity number stamped on it. Its value lives in judgement: colour, cut, clarity, origin and treatment. Here is the practical framework we use at the counter every day.

Start with purpose, not the stone

Ask what the piece is for before asking which stone. Daily-wear rings need hard, durable stones — sapphire, ruby and diamond top the Mohs hardness scale at 9–10. Emerald (7.5–8) and pearl are softer; they belong in occasion wear, pendants and earrings that take fewer knocks. A bridal set worn six times a year can carry stones a daily office ring cannot.

Colour is 60% of a coloured stone's value

For ruby, sapphire and emerald, colour dominates price. Look for:

• Hue — the base colour. A ruby should read red, not maroon-brown.
• Saturation — vividness. Washed-out or overly dark stones cost less.
• Evenness — tilt the stone under white light; colour should not pool in patches.

Always view stones in daylight-balanced light, not only under warm showroom spotlights — ask the jeweller to walk you near a window. An honest counter will oblige.

Understand treatments — they must be disclosed

Most rubies and sapphires on the market are heat-treated; that is accepted practice and stable. What matters is disclosure. Glass-filled rubies, dyed stones and fracture-filled emeralds are dramatically cheaper and must be sold as such. Ask directly: “Is this stone treated, and how?” and make sure the answer appears on the bill or certificate.

Certificates: when to insist

For any coloured stone above roughly ₹25,000, ask for a report from a recognised lab (GIA, IGI, GRS or a reputed Indian lab). The certificate should state species, origin where determinable, and treatment. For diamonds, certification is non-negotiable at any meaningful size — the 4Cs (cut, colour, clarity, carat) should match the report to the stone in front of you.

Astrological stones: one extra rule

Hyderabad buys a lot of navaratna and rashi stones. If the purpose is astrological, the stone generally needs to be natural and untreated — which raises the price band significantly. Never buy an “astrological grade” stone without a lab certificate stating no treatment.

Five questions to ask before you pay

1. Is the stone natural, synthetic, or treated — and is that on the bill?
2. What is the exact carat weight of the stone, billed separately from the gold?
3. Is there a lab certificate, and from which lab?
4. What is the buyback or exchange policy on the stone value (not just the gold)?
5. Can I see it in daylight?

At PJE, every stone-set piece is billed with the stone weight and value on its own line — gold, stone and making are never blended into one number. That is what transparency actually looks like on paper.

Unsure about a stone you already own? Bring it to our GIA-certified gemologist at Jade Arcade for an honest read — no charge, no obligation.